Wednesday season 2 (part 1) ending explained: Who is the new villain in Nevermore?

Wednesday season 2 part 1 ending answers the big mystery: the new villain tormenting Nevermore is Judi, the seemingly harmless secretary at Willow Hill. By the end of episode 4, viewers learn that Judi is the true mastermind behind the LOIS program (Longterm Outcast Integration Study).

It is a horrifying initiative experimenting on outcasts under the guise of psychiatric treatment. Her identity as the hooded Avian who controls crows and murders Sheriff Galpin flips the narrative on its head and sets the stage for a darker, more dangerous second half of the season.

Released on August 6, 2025, Wednesday season 2 part 1 continues the story from the end of season 1. Jenna Ortega returns as Wednesday Addams, with returning cast members Emma Myers (Enid), Hunter Doohan (Tyler), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia). The new season further explores the mysteries surrounding Nevermore Academy and introduces new developments in its storyline.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers. Read at your own risk.

---

Who is the Avian, and why did she kill Sheriff Galpin in Wednesday season 2 part 1?

Heather Matarazzo stars as Judi (Image via Netflix)

The identity of the hooded Avian has been the driving mystery of Wednesday season 2, part 1. The figure was always one step ahead, commanding murderous crows and leaving a trail of death, including the tragic murder of Sheriff Galpin.

Early suspicion fell on Dr. Fairburn, the head psychiatrist at Willow Hill. However, episode 4 reveals that she was merely a puppet. The true villain is Judi, Fairburn’s chirpy and forgettable executive assistant.

Judi’s full name is Judi Stonehurst. She is the daughter of Augustus Stonehurst, a former Nevermore science teacher who later became a psychiatrist at Willow Hill.

Augustus founded the LOIS program, which aimed to study and utilize outcast abilities for human applications. He conducted experiments on Judi, which transformed her into an Avian with the ability to control crows. The procedure also influenced her behavior, reflecting some of her father's traits and interests.

After Augustus Stonehurst became a patient at Willow Hill, Judi continued his work. She staged the false deaths of several outcasts and concealed them in the facility’s underground lab.

Her objective was to study, control, and potentially replicate their abilities. Individuals who posed a risk to her operations, such as Sheriff Galpin, were removed to prevent exposure.

By episode 4’s end, Judi’s Avian identity is exposed when Wednesday and Uncle Fester uncover the LOIS lab. The once-silly assistant becomes a chilling symbol of power unchecked, all the more terrifying because no one ever suspected her.

---

What happened to Tyler and Wednesday in the final showdown?

Hunter Doohan stars as Tyler Galpin (Image via Netflix)

Wednesday season 2 also unravels the fate of Tyler, the tortured Hyde, and former pawn of Marilyn Thornhill. Locked up in Willow Hill for most of the season, Tyler is a time bomb waiting to explode. After Judi is exposed and Fester knocks out the asylum’s power, the chaos unlocks every door, including Tyler’s cell.

Thornhill, still manipulating from the shadows, frees Tyler in hopes of regaining control over him. But Tyler has had enough. In a dramatic turn, he kills Thornhill in full Hyde form, severing the bond with his master and claiming agency, or so he believes.

Tyler locates Wednesday and confronts her. The encounter is brief and violent. He throws her through a high window. She lands on the cobblestone below, injured and unconscious. The scene ends with the screen fading to black, leaving her condition unknown.

In the final moments of the Wednesday season 2 finale, the show reveals the unstable state of Tyler's character. Although he kills his master, the act sets off a chain reaction tied to Hyde mythology. Without a master, a Hyde begins to lose control. Tyler’s transformations are no longer manageable and are becoming dangerous.

Meanwhile, Wednesday’s fate remains unclear. Though she may have survived the fall, the physical and emotional toll is evident and will play a key role in part 2. Her closing voice-over reflects this uncertainty,

“Maybe I have made everything worse. Much worse.”

---

How does it all tie back to Nevermore Academy?

Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday Addams (Image via Netflix)

What makes Wednesday season 2 more unsettling than its predecessor is how deeply the corruption infects Nevermore itself. Judi and her father, Augustus Stonehurst, weren’t outsiders but were part of the Nevermore ecosystem.

Stonehurst once taught science at the academy. He built an aviary in Iago Tower for his daughter Judi, years before his descent into madness. The academy nurtured these villains without ever knowing it. And it goes deeper. Professor Orloff, who once worked with Stonehurst, warns Wednesday that he never trusted him, a normie obsessed with outcast powers.

More importantly, the LOIS program’s victims were Nevermore students or graduates. Their deaths were faked, and their remains were replaced with animal bones. Grandmama’s cemetery was a cover-up, and the school’s long history of secrecy only made it easier for Judi’s atrocities to stay hidden.

Even Wednesday’s own family is tangled in this dark legacy. Her Aunt Ophelia was once committed to Willow Hill after her psychic powers spiraled out of control. Morticia fears the same fate for Wednesday, who’s already showing signs of similar breakdowns, black tears, visions, and emotional unraveling.

By the end of Wednesday season 2, part 1, viewers see Nevermore not as a sanctuary, but as a haunted place. The real monster isn’t outside the gates, but is hiding within them all along.

---

Wednesday season 2 part 1 ends with a major reveal: the Avian is Judi. Her ties to Willow Hill and Nevermore deepen, while raising new questions. Tyler emerges as a rogue Hyde, while Wednesday’s fall signals a turning point. As villain and victim roles blur, secrets come to light.

With Judi unmasked and Wednesday wounded, part 1 sets the stage for higher stakes and deeper conflicts in the second half of Wednesday season 2. Part 2 of Wednesday season 2 will be released on September 3 exclusively on Netflix.